Pokemon: Soul of Light
by MistEagleofPain
Summary: A new trainer starts his first Pokemon journey. However, there are complications from the very start. Does danger lurk around the corner? What new surprises will there be? Most characters will be original characters .
1. The Start of Every Journey

**A.N.: Hello all to chapter 1 of my first ever fanfiction. Although I've been reading the stories on this site for a few years now, I have never registered for it.** **I've read several Pokemon fanfics, but they've all lacked something. I'm hoping that this story will fill the gap. Just as an advanced warning, as of the uploading of this first chapter, I have yet to plot out the entire story. Basically, I'm going to wing it!**

**Anyways, this story bears little resemblance to my real life. I will admit that the names are unoriginal, but I've named many of my characters after my friends and acquaintances. If any of you ever read this, don't take it too personally that I've borrowed your names, as no last names will be used (and the first names are quite common). The main character is named after yours truly, but don't assume that he has my personality (I can be just as evil as anyone else, unlike the character).**

**Finally, I do not own anything relating to Pokemon! I'm just a fan, and am borrowing things from the games and the anime to channel my creative urges. I Do claim the rights to my own original characters though. Pokemon itself is the copyright property of Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo.**

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**0000000000 The Start of Every Journey 0000000000**

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"Andy! WAKE UP!"

Andy bolted up with a start. He had been dreaming that he was in a battle with another trainer. However, he couldn't see the other trainer, the trainer's Pokemon, or his own for that matter. The battle had not been going well, but he couldn't remember any details. Andy shrugged and then leapt out of bed.

In the bathroom, Andy looked at his reflection for a minute. He was a skinny, dark haired teenager, and wore thin frame glasses (or green contacts if need be). He put on his contacts, seeing as glasses would be inconvenient for what he would be doing. He finished his morning routine in the bathroom, and then practically flew down the stairs.

His brother, Patrick, was already putting juice, toast, and chicken soup on the table. Phil, his other older brother, was taking plates out of the cabinets. Marissa, his older sister, was getting the peanut butter out of the refrigerator, and Virginia was putting the rice in bowls.

"Morning!" Patrick called out as Andy went to grab condiments from the cabinets. "Today's the big day!"

"Yeah! I'm so excited!" Andy grinned.

"First Pokemon, wow!" Virginia said as everyone finished what they were doing. "I remember getting my first Pokemon."

Everyone sat down at the table, which was a memorable event in itself. Usually, everyone was busy with their respective jobs, and the day went with no one seeing each other until late at night. Today though, the family called in late because they all wanted to see Andy off on his first Pokemon journey. He had started late, due to the death of their parents a little more than a year ago.

At first, Andy was living with his parents, and his siblings were all out having their own adventures. However, when his parents died in their plane crash, his siblings all returned home immediately. At first, there were some annoying legal troubles, as well as financial problems, which added to their sorrows. But eventually things calmed down enough for Patrick to finally marry Virginia. She had been Patrick's friend since they were five, and had grown up closely with the rest of the family. The wedding was a year after Andy's parents had died, after which Patrick and Virginia took custody of Pat's siblings.

It had been a year ago since all that had happened, and today was Andy's thirteenth birthday. He was quite late in receiving his first Pokemon, but he didn't mind all that much. He had really missed being with his siblings, and though he was excited to go on his journey, he wanted to make his time at home last as long as he could.

After breakfast was cleaned up, Andy got ready to leave. He changed into a dark green t-shirt, somewhat tight black jeans, and black and white sneakers. He looked around his bedroom, focusing on his backpack. It was already prepared with extra clothes, rope, a first aid kit, a blanket, a towel, his Poketech, and a sleeping bag. He looked around his room and stuffed some bags of Pokemon food into it. It was his brother Phil's recipe. He was a Pokemon emergency medical caregiver, as well a powerful Pokemon trainer. He was always running out of the house to help injured Pokemon in the towns nearby.

As he left his room (his backpack would be retrieved after he got back) Andy was met by his family.

"Alright, are you ready to go?" asked Patrick.

"Yeah, you know what Pokemon you're going to choose?" Virginia inquired.

"Well, I was going to go for a Squirtle, but any Pokemon will do." Andy responded.

"Well don't choose a Pokemon you can't handle!" exclaimed Marissa. "This journey would be even tougher if you do."

"Don't worry about it, Andy will learn to cope," Phil interrupted. "since he's been working at this for years now."

"Yeah, I'll be fine guys!" Andy said. "I'll see you guys later!"

Andy left the house and headed down the hill. An hour later, he arrived at the laboratory of Professor Oak, the world famous Pokemon expert. As he climbed up the steps, Andy started pondering his choice of Pokemon. "_Maybe Squirtle is too easy. I could always go with Charmander. But wait, I don't want everyone to think that I'm trying to be Rissa…maybe Bulbasaur. No, Squirtle is the best choice! But what if Professor Oak already gave Squirtle away? Maybe Bulbasaur would be a better option…or Charmander._"

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When he finally reached the door, he finally made up his mind to choose Squirtle. When he went inside, he called out "Professor Oak! Are you here? It's Andy!"

A voice from the room to the left called out "Andy? I'm in here!"

Andy looked into his room, he saw another boy there. He looked to be about the same age as Andy, making him somewhat curious. Normally, one was allowed to be a trainer when they turned ten years old, so a kid his age receiving a starter Pokemon was rare. As Andy walked over to them, the kid said "Thanks Prof! I'm off now!"

The boy dashed past Andy with only a quick sideways glance at him. Andy watched the boy leave, and then turned his attention back to the Professor. The Professor looked a little guilty as Andy wet up to him and shook his hand.

"Hey Professor! I'm here to finally get my starter Pokemon! And I want to receive a Squirtle!" Andy exclaimed.

The Professor looked sheepish as he said "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I gave all three Pokemon away."

"WHAT!" Andy shouted. "How did THAT happen? There should only be three trainers at most today."

"I know, and I apologize," said Professor Oak gently "but that young man there needed a Pokemon as well, and I couldn't say no."

"WHY NOT! I need a Pokemon too!" shouted Andy. "What do I do? Wait until you have more Pokemon?"

"Well, normally I would have to say yes, but today seems to be an exceptional day." The Professor said. "I DO have another Pokemon available, but I need to explain the situation to you."

"What situation? What's wrong with this Pokemon?" inquired Andy.

"Well, this Pokemon is very young, and it lost it's parents to a group of criminals" Professor Oak sadly said. "It may not be willing to leave. It took me a while just to get it accustomed to the safety of my laboratory. It's scared, and if I let you take it, it may not be able to handle it."

"Can I talk with this Pokemon then?" asked Andy slowly. "I want to see if it will agree to go with me first then."

"Yes, a wise idea" Professor Oak took a Pokeball out and pressed the button. A white light bursted out and took shape. A small, brown Pokemon appeared with a skull on it's head, holding a bone.

"Cubone" it cried. Then it looked at Andy and ran for cover under a nearby table.

"Hey little buddy," said Andy gently as he and Professor Oak slowly crawled over to the table. "I won't hurt you. I just want to talk to you."

"Cu?" question Cubone quietly.

"I came here for a starter Pokemon, but Professor Oak here no longer has any." Andy said softly. "I was wondering if you would maybe want to join me on my journey?"

"Bone!" cried Cubone with a shake of it's head.

"I know you're scared. The world is a scary place, and there are many bad people out there." mumbled Andy. Then, as Cubone nodded sadly, he said more strongly, "But you shouldn't be scared! There are so many things to see, and the world can be beautiful!"

Looking sadly at Cubone, Professor Oak said, "I understand that you don't like the idea of leaving the safety of my lab because of what happened to your parents. But Andy here will be there to protect you."

Andy nodded and said, "I won't put you in danger. Being a trainer means battling, but if things get too bad, I will put a stop to it, even if it means hurting myself."

Andy looked into Cubone's eyes as he said sadly, "I lost my parents a couple of years ago. Life was scary for a long time. But things turned out alright. I understand your pain, and if you choose to come with me, I won't ever leave your side."

"Bone! Cubone!" Cubone said happily.

Cubone stepped out of underneath the table and walked up to Andy. Professor Oak looked at them both and said, "It seems Cubone has chosen to accompany you after all! That means we can finish up here."

Professor Oak went to the table and took Cubone's Pokeball and tossed it to Andy. Andy nodded, and pointed the ball at Cubone. "Ready Cubone?" he asked. "I think I'm gonna name you too. After all, you're part of the family now, and should have your own name, right?"

"Cu!" cried Cubone excitedly.

"Um, lessee here…Bones? Nah, how about Gold? No, too weird. I know! Gilbert!" said Andy.

Cubone grinned, and Andy said, "Alright! Gilbert, return!"

Cubone nodded, and the Pokeball beamed a red light at Cubone, withdrawing Cubone into it.

Professor Oak then walked up to Andy and said "You'll need these." He handed Andy five Pokeballs, and a Pokedex. "This Pokedex will serve as both a guide, and as identification along your journey."

"Thanks Professor!" said Andy happily. "I think I'm ready to go now!"

Professor Oak nodded, "Take good care of Cu…err, I mean Gilbert. He's gonna be a handful. I wish you good luck!"

"Bye! And thanks again!" said Andy, then he walked out of the lab.

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An hour later, Andy arrived home, just in time for lunch. His family was already in the living room, waiting for him.

"That was quicker than I expected!" cried Phil excitedly, "What Pokemon did you get?"

Andy simply took out his Pokeball and said "Here." The Pokeball opened, and Gilbert bursted out again. "CUBONE!"

"Huh?" said the entire family in unison, "Cubone?"

Quickly, Andy told them of the situation. Cubone seemed to be a little nervous with all the people around, but Andy reassured him by saying,"Relax Gil, we're all family now!" Cubone indeed seemed a little calmer as Andy finished speaking with his siblings. After the small party (it was Andy's birthday after all!), Andy took Gilbert to his room.

"This is our room at home!" exclaimed Andy proudly, "feel free to look around, just try not to break anything!" He winked then started packing some more items into his already crammed backpack. As Gilbert explored the room curiously, Andy finally finished his packing and pulled out his Poketech. He opened it and sent a quick email to a couple of his friends. Then he said "Alright, I'm all packed and ready to go! Gil, you ready?"

Gilbert turned to Andy and happily said "Cu!"

As they went back into the living room, Andy's family was all gathered again.

"Before you leave, we all have a little gift to give you each" said Virginia as she gave him a small item with a string, "Here's mine. It's an ancient crystal. I found it during my own travels, and I think of it as a good luck charm. Keep it."

"Oh wow Ginny!" said Andy as he looked at the stone in awe, "It'll be a great necklace too!"

"Wait!" cried Patrick, "I had a feeling that Virginia would give you that, so I got you this!"

Patrick handed Andy a small necklace chain, "There! Now you can replace the cord with it."

Virginia rolled her eyes and said, "Geez, thanks for replacing MY cord!" Patrick just laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

Marissa walked up to Andy and said "Before this love fest gets too out of hand, I'll give you this." She handed him a bone, "This Thick Club will be helpful for Gilbert. I found it, but never needed it, so it's yours"

Then Phil laughed and said "Hey, you guys all gave him the good stuff! All I have to give him is THIS!" He then handed Andy a blue rock, "Since none of us can use it, I thought maybe you might be able to. It's a water stone, and it's really hard to find, so don't lose it. Maybe you'll find a Pokemon that you can use it on!"

Andy smiled and looked at his family, "Thanks you guys! I know I'll be fine with you all supporting me! I'm gonna miss you all!" Andy gave everyone a hug, then turned towards the door, "Bye everyone!"

"Take care bro!"

"Good luck Andy!"

"Bye runt!"

"Have fun man!"

As Andy left, he turned to his house and took out Cubone's Pokeball. "Gilbert, come out!"

Gilbert appeared, "Cu?"

"We're leaving, so let's take one last look at home okay?" Andy asked.

Gilbert nodded.

After a minute, the pair turned away and walked towards the horizon.

"Next stop, the docks!"

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**I hope you all have enjoyed this first chapter! OR if not, then don't read it! :) Feel free to review, I would like to hear your feedback and CONSTRUCTIVE critism. Flames and/or pointing out spelling errors do NOT count! Next chapter will be out soon I hope!**


	2. SS Lucrezia

**A.N.: Okay, this is the second chapter of my Pokemon fanfic. Wow, it hasn't been a day yet and I've already put up two chapters! Not bad for someone who's making this all up as he goes along! Special thanks to Aigue-Marine and sunshine5991 for being the first people to review! **

**Oh, and Pokemon is a trademark of Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri.**

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**0000000 SS Lucrezia 0000000**

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It was only a two hour walk south towards the docks. As Andy and Gilbert the Cubone arrived at the shipyard, they looked around for their ship. Andy took out his travel ticket and looked at it, "Looks like our ship is the S.S. Lucrezia. What a funny name."

"Bone, Cu Cu" Gilbert agreed. The two of them headed towards a ship near the end of the pier. There was a long line of people waiting in front of the ship's entrance. As Andy and Gilbert reached the end of the line, the line began to move. When they finally reached the entrance, the person receiving the tickets asked, "You heading for Hoenn?"

"Yeah, I am." Andy replied.

"Alright, then welcome aboard kid!"

With that, Andy headed in, carrying Gilbert in his arms. Inside, it looked to be a cruise ship. There were trainers all throughout the large gallery, with several battles occurring simultaneously. Andy and Gilbert looked at one battle curiously. The participants were two young trainers: one was a boy with reddish hair and grey clothing; the other trainer was a girl with black hair and a purple outfit.

"Rattata, use Tackle!" the boy shouted. The Rattata began charging at the opposing Pokemon, a Shinx.

"Really?" the girl said calmly. "Shinx, Quick Attack!" Shinx started charging at Rattata with amazing speed, and then suddenly went right, ending up on Rattata's side. Shinx then sped up and rammed hard into Rattata. Rattata looked rather dazed from the hit.

"End this with a Tackle!" the girl commanded. Shinx then charged at the still dazed Rattata, slamming into it, and knocking it out.

The referee watching over this match then declared "Rattata is unable to battle. The winner is Cindy!"

"Wow, you were tough!" the boy said in awe. "We couldn't even touch you."

"Well, looks like you need to study more Don." Cindy said with a grin. "I've already won 2 battles so far!"

Then Cindy looked at her audience and called out, "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me?"

It seemed that most of the beginner trainers were uneasy with the idea, seeing as no one had been able to beat her. Andy looked at Gilbert inquiringly, to which Gilbert shook his head.

Cindy seemed to be frustrated with the lack of challengers, so she shouted "Well, someone battle me! Come on, it'll be fun!" Then she looked at Gilbert and then at Andy and said "Hey, you with the Cubone, how about a battle with me?"

Andy looked surprised and said "Wait, me?"

Cindy snapped impatiently, "Yes you! How about you battle with me? Or are you scared?"

Andy said slowly, "I'm not scared, but Gil here isn't really one for large crowds of people, nor does he have any battling experience."

"Well, you're the trainer, so it is up to YOU to change that!" Cindy said in an annoyed tone. "But if that little guy is scared, why not battle me with another Pokemon?"

"I would, but he's my only one" Andy mumbled. Gilbert looked up at Andy's disappointed face, then looked at Cindy and narrowed his eyes. "Cu!" Gilbert cried.

Andy looked at Gilbert in surprise. "You want to?" Gilbert nodded hesitantly "Are you sure?" Gilbert simply leapt out of Andy's arms and slowly walked to the center of the battling stage, and glared at Cindy.

Cindy laughed" Looks like your Cubone finally has the guts to fight! Are you ready kid?"

Andy took one last look at Gilbert and then turned to Cindy and nodded determinedly, "Let's go! And the name's Andy"

Cindy threw a Pokeball out, shouting "Whatever! I choose you! Lotad!" A small, blue Pokemon with a lotus pad on top of its head appeared. "Lotad!" it cried.

Andy pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at Lotad "Lotad, the Water Weed Pokemon. Lotad likes to serve as a ferry to Pokemon who can't swim." the Pokedex stated.

"Hmm, what about Gilbert, what attacks does he know?" He pointed the Pokedex at Cubone. The Pokedex stated "Cubone, the Lonely Pokemon. It's crying makes the skull helmet it wears rattle hollowly. Cubone's current repertoire of techniques include: Tackle, Growl, Bone Club."

"Ok, that works" Andy said slowly. He nodded at the referee, who then called "This will be a one on one battle between Andy and Cindy. There will be no time limit. Let the battle begin!" The bell rang.

"Lotad use Growl!" Cindy cried quickly. Lotad let out a bellow at Cubone, who winced at the loud noise.

"Gil, Growl right back!" Andy countered. Gilbert let out a cry similar to Lotad's. Lotad took a few steps back.

Cindy frowned and said "Oh yeah? Lotad, show them your Astonish!" Lotad let out a sudden scream.

"Cu!" Cubone cried in surprise at the sudden sound. Andy called out "Tackle it!" Cubone charged at Lotad, while Cindy looked on seemingly unworried.

"Lotad, sidestep it and use Absorb!" Lotad waited until Gilbert was right in front of it, then took a step to the right and shot a beam of green light at Gilbert. Gilbert screamed in pain and surprise. Andy looked horrified at the damage Cubone took, calling out "No! Gilbert!"

Cindy smirked, "Looks like it'll be over soon. Lotad, end this with Nature Power!"

Lotad began to glow, before opening its mouth. Andy saw this and cried "Gilbert, shut its mouth with a Bone Club!" Gilbert looked at Lotad angrily, and then clubbed it on the head suddenly with his bone. The energy dissipated, and Lotad looked stunned.

"NO! LOTAD!" Cindy cried. Andy took this chance to call out, "Tackle!"

Gilbert lowered his head, and rammed into Lotad, knocking it out. The referee held pointed his hand at Andy and called out "Lotad is unable to battle! Andy is the winner!"

Gilbert ran to Andy happily, and Andy scooped him into his arms and gave the Cubone a big hug. "You were amazing Gilbert!" he said happily.

Cindy then walked up to Andy and said "Looks like you win this match kid. You broke my winning streak!" She then put her hand out, and Andy took it. "Congratulations."

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As Andy and Gilbert walked to the food bar, the boy named Don walked up to him and said "Wow, you beat her! You're pretty good for a beginning trainer!"

Andy grinned before saying "Thanks, but Gilbert did the work. I just pointed him in the right direction." Don laughed at that and said "I guess so. Say, you wanna battle with me?"

Andy looked at Gilbert, who was chewing on a drumstick happily and said "Maybe later, Gilbert is pretty famished after that battle." Don nodded and asked "So why are you heading towards Hoenn?"

Andy looked at Don and said "Well, I have a friend who I'm meeting with there. Then, we'll head to Johto to start our journey."

"You're going all the way to Hoenn just to meet up with a friend?" Don exclaimed incredulously. "Wow, you guys must be close!"

Andy grinned, "Yeah, we were in day-camp together, and we've been best friends since. My other best friend, Keith, moved to Johto. It's kinda lonely at home, so I want to travel with a friend instead of by myself."

Don nodded, "Yeah, I can understand that. By the way, would you like to battle me after lunch?"

Andy nodded, "If Gil wants to, sure!"

Suddenly, a voice announced through the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen, the S.S. Lucrezia is now setting sail. We hope you enjoy your ride on the S.S. Lucrezia."

Don looked at Andy and said, "Well, looks like we're heading out. I guess this is a good a time as any to eat." Andy nodded in the affirmative, and they both headed over to where Gilbert was happily chewing on a bone.

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After they scarfed down lunch, Andy and Don headed towards a battling stage, Gilbert following them quickly. The boys went to opposite ends of the arena, and the referee nodded. "This will be a battle between Andy and Don. Each trainer will use one Pokemon each, with no time limit. Let the battle begin!"

"Gilbert, let's play!"

"Sentret, I choose you!" A tiny beige rodent-like Pokemon appeared from Don's Pokeball. Andy pointed his Pokedex at Sentret, who stated "Sentret, the Scout Pokemon. It has a very nervous nature. It stands up high on its tail so it can scan wide areas."

Andy thought to himself "_Sentret looks to be stronger than his Rattata. I'll have to be a little cautious._"

"Sentret, Quick Attack!" Sentret charged at Gilbert at amazing speed. Gilbert stood his ground, holding his bone out to protect himself. Andy cried out "Gil, use Growl!"

Gilbert let out a powerful wail, which seemed to slow Sentret down as it winced from the sound. Sentret then leaped towards Gilbert, intending to ram into him. Gilbert forced his bone in front of Sentret's path, who collided head on with it. They both struggled to force the other to give way. Andy then called out "Tackle it!"

Gilbert butted his head at Sentret, knocking it back. Don frowned as said, "Fury Swipes! Get it!"

Sentret's claws began to glow, and it rushed at Gilbert. Andy countered, "Oh yeah? Gil, use Bone Club!" Gilbert used his bone to strike at the flailing Sentret, parrying its strikes easily. Then, Gilbert made a side slash at Sentret, slamming into it and sending Sentret flying back. Sentret landed on the ground, knocked unconscious.

"NO! Sentret!" Don rushed to Sentret as the referee said "Sentret is unable to battle. The winner is Andy!"

As Don recalled Sentret, Andy gave Gilbert a high five (not easy when you are five times taller). As they were celebrating, Don walked over to them with a look of dejection. He sighed, "Guess Cindy was right. I should study up more on battling."

"Nah, you did pretty good. You just have to work on your technique I guess. It's still too early for me to be giving anyone advice." Andy grinned.

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As the S.S. Lucrezia sailed peacefully in the wave, the voice in the loudspeakers announced, "Trainers, the S.S. Lucrezia offers a complimentary one-hour Pokemon training course. If you would like to participate, please go out onto the deck. We guarantee that you and your Pokemon will leave stronger than when you first entered!"

At this announcement, many of the trainers on board grew excited. Pretty soon, there was an influx of trainers going through the doors to the deck. Don seemed interested, so he said good-bye to Andy and ran off to join the crowd of trainers. Andy shrugged and thought to himself, "_I doubt one short course would help us get stronger. It's probably the ship's way of passing the time._"

Andy then heard a snicker, and turned around to see Cindy rolling her eyes at the trainers heading out to the deck. She said, "If they all think that one little course will help them get stronger, then they must all be pretty desperate."

Andy frowned at her and said, "Hey, even a little help can go a long way! There's nothing wrong with trying it out." Cindy smirked at him and said, "So then why aren't YOU going? Is it because you know it's just a sham?" Andy looked at her and snapped, "No, I just don't feel like going! Is there a problem with that?"

Cindy simply laughed and said, "No need to get defensive! I'm just teasing you." Andy growled, "Whatever."

Gilbert had walked over to Andy to see who he was talking to. The little Cubone frowned at Cindy, and gripped Andy's leg. Cindy saw this and said, "Maybe you should go take the course. Your Cubone looks pretty young. It needs all the help it can get!"

Andy shrugged and said "Maybe, but only if Gil is willing." He looked at Gilbert, who looked confused. "You wanna take a lesson in battling buddy?" Gilbert simply shrugged non-committedly."

"Alright, I guess we might as well. It's better than staying here staring at the carpeting." Andy lifted Gilbert into his arms, and set off for the deck. Cindy shrugged and said, "Might as well follow. Nothing to do here."

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When they reached the deck, they found themselves completely blocked by a crowd of people. However, they still heard the instructor saying, "Using your Pokedex, and a little personal effort, you can teach your Pokemon techniques that they normally do not learn naturally. Like this Vulpix here can perform an Energy Ball attack, which it does not learn normally in the wild."

Many trainers seemed interested in trying out that tip; however, there was simply too little room to call out any Pokemon. Andy simply pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at Gilbert. He pressed a button on it, and a display appeared on the tiny screen, with a list of all possible attacks Cubone can learn, naturally and through teaching. He found one interesting move, and decided on it, "Protect. That sounds useful."

"Anyone who wishes to try this out, come to the front please!"

Andy started pushing his way to the front, which wasn't easy with all the people so close together and Gilbert in his arms. However, he eventually forced his way to the stand, where several trainers were already trying to teach their Pokemon new moves. The instructor looked at Andy and said, "Well young man, what would you like to try?"

"Um, I think I'll go for teaching Gil here the move Protect." The instructor nodded slowly, "That's a relatively simple one. Maybe you would like to teach your Cubone another move as well? How about the move Sandstorm? That would be very useful."

Andy nodded hesitantly, "Alright, I guess that would be okay." Then he set Gilbert down, and said to him, "Ready to learn?" Gilbert nodded nervously.

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The instructor started instructing them on how to perform the moves. After a few minutes later, the instructor went off to help another trainer, while Andy and Gilbert kept working on the moves. Before they could finish, the instructor started a new lesson on movements in the battle. He went on to teach them basic ways to create openings to win, as well as using types to one's advantage. By the time the hour was up, the instructor ended by saying, "Alright, who thinks they can use this stuff in a battle?"

Almost immediately, every hand in the audience flew up in the air. The instructor laughed, pointed at a random trainer, and started a battle. Soon, he had a line of challengers, all eager to try out their new tricks. Surprisingly enough, the instructor defeated every single challenger without breaking stride. When everyone on line was beaten, he said, "I think one more battle of my own choosing will suffice. How about you?" He pointed at what looked like Andy, though Cindy stepped forward.

Cindy said, "I'll take you on!" The instructor frowned and said, "My mistake, I was pointing at the boy with the Cubone, but I don't mind facing both of you at once! I could use this opportunity to teach people about double battles!"

Cindy shrugged and looked at Andy, who nodded. He stepped forward as well and said, "Alright, I'll accept your challenge as well."

The instructor nodded at the referee, who called out, "This will be a double battle between Instructor Luis, and… uh names please?"

"Andy." "Cindy."

"…right, this will be a double battle between Instructor Luis and The team of Cindy and Andy. The challenger, Luis, will be using two Pokemon at once. Both Andy and Cindy will only be allowed one Pokemon each. The battle will be over when both Pokemon from one team are unable to battle. There will be no time limit. Trainers, select your Pokemon!"

Cindy tossed a Pokeball, calling out "Go Shinx!" Shinx appeared in a flash of light.

"Gilbert, let's roll!" Gilbert ran out to the battlefield alongside Shinx. Luis threw out two Pokeballs, shouting, "Go! Illumise! Vulpix!" Out appeared two Pokemon: Illumise was a blue and lilac firefly-like Pokemon; Vulpix was a red-orange fox, with six curly tails.

The referee then shouted, "This will be a double battle between the teams of Cubone and Shinx, and Illumise and Vulpix. Let the battle begin!"

Cindy called out quickly "Shinx! Use Charge!" Shinx began surrounding itself with electricity. Luis smirked and called out, "Illumise, use Helping Hand! Vulpix, use Heat Wave!"

Illumise began glowing with blue light, and then clapped, sending the blue light at Vulpix. Vulpix shot a wide stream of heat at Shinx and Cubone. Andy frowned and called out, "Gil, try out Sandstorm!"

Gilbert began twirling his bone quickly, aiming the wind at the ground. A large cloud of sand shot forth, which impacted with the Heat Wave, dissipating it. However, a backlash of heat knocked Gilbert into Shinx. Cindy frowned at Andy, who smiled apologetically in response. Cindy then shouted, "Shinx, use Spark!"

Shinx surrounded itself with a large ball of lightning, and charged at Illumise and Vulpix. Luis laughed at this, saying, "Using a head-on attack against two enemies isn't the wisest decision. It leaves both Pokemon open to counterattacks like this. Vulpix, use Confuse Ray! Illumise, use Buzz!"

Vulpix's eyes began to glow, and it shot a wave of energy at Shinx. The attack froze Shinx on the spot. At the same time, Illumise began vibrating its wings, sending a loud shockwave at both Shinx and Gilbert. Andy called out quickly, "Protect!"

Cubone began twirling his bone rapidly, and held it up like a shield at the shockwave. The Bug Buzz struck the spinning bone, and rebounded at the ground. Unfortunately, Shinx was so lucky, being sent flying from the attack. Cindy shouted out quickly, "Quick, use Tackle on Illumise!"

Hearing this command, Shinx began charging. However, Shinx didn't seem to be able to tell where Illumise was. It ran off on a tangent, and rammed Gilbert. Andy screamed, "Hey, stop that!" Unfortunately, Shinx began gnawing on Gilbert's bone. Gilbert kept tugging, which resulted in a tug-of-war between the two.

Luis smirked, "If your Pokemon can't work together, then you won't stand a chance. Let's end this! Illumise, use Hidden Power! Vulpix, use Energy Ball!"

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**A.N.: The ending to this battle should be obvious, but I guess I'll leave a cliffhanger for you all to contemplate (Not that it's a very impressive cliff). Sorry about how boring this story is so far. But somehow, I don't think anyone can start a journey with super powerful Pokemon. So the intense battles will have to wait a while. Oh, and if anyone wants to help me with this story (especially how to avoid turning Andy, or any other main character, into a Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu), I'd appreciate it! Also, I would like to warn you all ahead of time that Andy (me and my character of the same name) is gay. Any problems with that, either get over it or don't read. Feel free to review, and all that stuff. In all honesty, I'm only writing for fun, NOT for reviews. So to avoid ending with a sour note, um… I LOVE BUNNIES AND KILLER BIRDS! **


	3. Nightmare Clockworks

**A.N. : I don't own Pokemon. Pokemon is a trademark of Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri.**

**0000000 Nightmare Clockworks 0000000**

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Illumise glowed with white light before releasing a beam of energy at the struggling pair. Vulpix charged up a green ball of light, and shot it at them at the same time. Both attacks hit the two, sending them both flying. When they landed, it was clear both Shinx and Gilbert were unconscious. Andy screamed, "GILBERT, are you okay!"

Cindy just shouted, "NO! Shinx!"

"Both Cubone and Shinx are unable to battle! Luis is the winner!"

As Cindy recalled Shinx, Andy ran over to Gilbert, lifting him up in his arms. "Gil! Speak to me buddy!" he cried desperately.

Luis walked over to him and said "Don't worry kid, your Cubone just needs to rest a while in the rehabilitation room." Andy nodded, and ran the direction Luis pointed towards.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in Hoenn, a teenage boy stopped in front of a laboratory. He looked to be 15 years old, which was around Andy's age. The boy hesitated for a second and then knocked on the door. The door slowly opened, and a man in a lab coat answered the boy. The man said, "Oh, Daniel! I was expecting you to be here tomorrow morning!"

Daniel replied, "Yeah, I was planning on coming tomorrow. It's just that I felt like receiving my Pokemon as soon as possible so that I can meet a friend at the pier tomorrow morning instead."

The man nodded, and said "That's quite alright. Come in."

"Thanks Professor Birch."

* * *

At the same time, a girl ran into the arms of her boyfriend. She exclaimed "I missed you so much!" Her boyfriend responded, "I missed you too Maddy. Did you receive your Pokemon from Professor Birch yet?"

Maddy nodded, "Yeah, a Treeko!"

Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow, "Treeko? I didn't know you like Grass-types."

"I just adore them! But I adore YOU more Keith!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

* * *

Meanwhile, aboard the control room of the S.S Lucrezia, there was a struggle.

A group of people dressed in hooded black robes were engaging in a Pokemon brawl with the sailors in the control room. Unfortunately, the battle was not going well for the sailors. Then, the apparent leader of the group called out "Weepinbell, use Sleep Powder!" A yellow and green bell-shaped plant Pokemon blew out a mist of sparkling blue dust at the sailors and their Pokemon. They all fell to the ground, sleeping.

The leader smirked, then turned to his men and said "Tie them all up! We're taking over!"

As Andy nursed Gilbert in the rehabilitation room, all the passengers in the ballroom were being rounded up by the men in robes. The trainers were all taken by surprise when the grunts stormed in, and were easily subdued by the Sleep Powder.

The leader turned to his grunts, "Search the ship for any other passengers and bring them to me!"

"Yes Sir!" the grunts bowed to him, before leaving the ballroom.

_Five minutes later_

Luis was near the pool, locked in battle with several of the robed men. His Pokemon consisted of: Illumise, Vulpix, Spheal, Gravelar, Mightyena, and Seadra.

His Pokemon were all exhausted, especially due to all the battles they've been in beforehand. Things were not looking good, and then one of the men called out "Bellsprout, Stun Spore!"

The Bellsprout sprayed out a golden dust at Luis' Pokemon, causing them to all screech in pain. Some of it hit Luis as well, causing him to tense up and then collapse.

"No…" groaned Luis as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

On the ship's upper deck, Cindy was having her own troubles. Her Shinx and Lotad were already taken out, and just now her Spearow was just taken out. The only Pokemon she had left was a Venonat, who couldn't handle the enemy Pokemon. She gritted her teeth in frustration, then called out "Venonat, use Sleep Powder!"

Venonat sprayed a blue dust at the enemy Pokemon, putting most of them to sleep. However, a Zubat suddenly struck Venonat with an Air Cutter, knocking it out.

"Venonat!" Screamed Cindy. Just as the robed men were about to close in on her, they all heard a voice calling "Sentret, Sand Attack!"

The robed men all looked up to see Sentret soaring down. Sentret landed, and quickly started spinning, sending a cloud of dust at the robed men and their Pokemon. As they were blinded, Don ran up behind Cindy and pulled her away, Sentret quickly following.

"Thanks for the rescue." Cindy muttered quietly, as they ran through the door. Don nodded, and led them through another door just as their pursuer's flung open the door. The kids dashed along a long corridor, leading to the rehab room.

"I don't think they've attacked the rehab room yet, so maybe we can hold them back there!" Don explained as they ran towards the room, which was inconveniently located at the end of the hallway. Cindy nodded, and then said "I need to fix up my Pokemon too."

As they entered the rehabilitation room, Don slammed the door shut, and grabbed the closest chair he could. He jammed the chair on the door, to make a makeshift barrier between them and the men.

"What's going on?" a voice said. Startled, they turned around to see Andy and Gilbert at the bed on the other side of the room.

"There are a bunch of weird men in bathrobes capturing everyone on the ship!" cried Cindy. Andy looked confused, and then they all jumped when they heard a crash at the door.

"They've found us!" shouted Don, "Cindy, treat your Pokemon, while Andy and I hold them up!"

Both Cindy and Andy nodded. Cindy ran to the medical supplies, while Don released his Rattata and a Kakuna. Gilbert and Sentret ran up to join them.

They all heard a loud crash, and the door suddenly flew open. Five robed men ran into the room, all of them sending out Pokemon. Three Zubat, Four Kricketot, Two Geodude, and a Bellsprout appeared.

Bellsprout started the fight by spraying Sleep Powder at them. Gilbert started spinning his bone, causing a Sandstorm to blow the powder away. The powerful attack also pushed the other Pokemon back. Only the Geodude seemed unaffected. Both Geodude charged in for Tackle. Gilbert casually batted them away with a Bone Club. Meanwhile, the Zubat were flying towards Kakuna, who was merely standing in place.

"Kakuna, Harden!" Don commanded. Kakuna glowed with a white light as the trio of Zubat dove at it. The Zubat bit Kakuna, but Kakuna barely seemed to notice. Don smirked them said "Now use String Shot!" Kakuna shot a strand of sticky silk at the Zubat, entangling them.

As the Pokemon were fighting, Cindy was treating her Pokemon with healing sprays. While they all seemed to feel better, Cindy started to worry that the potions wouldn't be enough. She looked around for anything that could be helpful. She spotted something sticking out of Andy's backpack. She pulled it out, and looked at it. Smirking, Cindy called out to Andy "Hey Andy! Give Cubone this thing!"

She threw what looked to be a bone at Andy, who barely caught it. Nodding, Andy turned to Gilbert and shouted "Gil! Catch!" throwing the bone to Gilbert. Gilbert caught it, and smirked at Bellsprout. Gilbert threw both bones at the enemy Pokemon, sending most of them flying.

The robed men seemed surprised at this sudden turn of the tides. One of them called to the others "Retreat back to the ballroom! We'll show them the true might of Nightmare Clockworks!"

The other men nodded, and they all recalled their Pokemon quickly. Then they all turned tail and ran out the door.

Andy, Don, Cindy and their Pokemon all breathed a sigh of relief. Then Don said "Right, I think we should get moving! It won't take them long to bring reinforcements, and I'd rather not be here when they get back."

Cindy said in exasperation "Well where else can we go? The entire ship is being held hostage!"

Andy replied "Maybe we can sneak into the control room. If we can get in there, we may be able to call for help from the mainland."

The other two nodded, and they all grabbed their stuff, as well as some supplies from the room. The group ran through the door, before quietly sneaking towards the control room.

* * *

Meanwhile, the passengers and the crew all were waking up to find themselves tied up, with ropes, cloth, and a few other materials. The captain looked at the leader, and yelled "Who are you people? What do you want with this ship?"

The man said sinisterly "We are Nightmare Clockworks! We're here for your Pokemon! With all these well trained Pokemon, we can raise a mighty army to take over this world! As for the ship itself, we can always use a ship for our purposes!" The robed men laughed at that.

All the trainers looked horrified at the thought of losing their Pokemon. They all began shouting at Nightmare Clockworks, screaming insults and curses at them. The robed men just laughed harder at that.

* * *

Andy and his group were near the control room, but as they cautiously peeked around the corner, they saw that the room was being guarded by two Nightmare Clockworks members. "What do we do?" asked Andy.

Don thought quietly, before saying "I'll draw the guards away from the room. You two get inside and radio for help."

Andy, Cindy, and Gilbert nodded. Don took a deep breath, before running out in front of the guards.

"HEY!" the guards shouted. At this, Don took off running through a nearby door. The guards started running, both of them entering the room as well. When they were gone, Andy's gang ran to the door, and pushed it open. As they ran into the room, the door suddenly closed behind them. Several guards appeared from both left and right, blocking the door. A flock of Zubat appeared from the men's Pokeballs.

Cindy held out her Pokeballs, and said to Andy "My Pokemon are recovered enough to hold them off. You get to the radio!"

As Andy and Gilbert ran to the controls, Cindy called out "Venonat! Spearow! Shinx! Lotad! Let's get them!"

While Andy's group was busy in the control room, Don was holding his own against the guards. The guards were attacking with a Geodude and a Kricketot. Don had his Sentret, Rattata, and Kakuna out. However, he was still having trouble, even with more Pokemon.

"Geodude, use Tackle!" "Kricketot, Bug Bite!" The guards commanded. Geodude started speeding towards Sentret, while Kricketot charged at Rattata. Both guards seemed to not notice Kakuna, or if they did, they didn't view it as a threat.

"Sentret, Defense Curl! Rattata, Quick Attack!" Don shouted. Sentret curled up into a ball, letting Geodude slam into it, sending it spinning in the air. At the same time, Kricketot bared its teeth at Rattata, who sped around the attack, then slammed into Kricketot. Don followed up by shouting "Sentret, use your Quick Attack!" Sentret landed, and then kept spinning. It spun right into Geodude, sending it reeling back.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" "Kricketot, use Growl!" Geodude rose into the air, and then plummeted towards Sentret. Kricketot screeched, causing both Sentret and Rattata to flinch. Then Geodude landed between them, the shockwave sending both of them flying back.

Don then smirked and shouted "Now! Kakuna, String Shot!" Kakuna suddenly let loose a spray of thread at Geodude. Geodude was soon trapped beneath the layers of string. Kricketot started charging at Kakuna, intending to use a Bug Bite on Kakuna, but then don called out "Harden!"

Kakuna glowed with white light, causing the Bug Bite to bounce right of it. As Kricketot flinched from the impact, Rattata leapt on it and used a Bite attack.

"Sentret, use Helping Hand! Kakuna, Poison Sting!" Sentret shot a bluish light at Kakuna, who then shot a barrage of needles at Geodude. Geodude cried out in pain. Meanwhile, Kricketot had fainted from the Bite attack. Rattata flung Kricketot at the guards. Don grinned, then said "Let's end this! Sentret, use Helping Hand! Rattata, use Bite!"

Sentret shot another bluish light at Rattata, who charged at Geodude and slammed into it with supercharged teeth. Geodude was sent flying, completely knocked out.

Don then took this chance to call out "Kakuna, use String Shot quickly!" Kakuna entangled the guards in strong, sticky silk. They were completely immobilized. Don smiled and hugged his Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Andy was having trouble getting a response from the radio. Cindy was having trouble holding back the men, especially due to the combined Supersonic attacks from the Zubat. Her Pokemon were being worn out quickly. Suddenly, there was a response from the radio. There was a lot of static interference, but it echoed through the room.

"Hello? This is the Coast Guard. All our men are occupied with their missions, so will be unable to respond to your emergency just yet. Please wait for a few minutes until someone..."

The rest was cut off.

* * *

**A.N. : Well, I'm back at college, so this story won't be updated as regularly as I would like. Depending on the amount of interest in this story, I may or may not update quickly, so please read and review. If anyone would like to suggest a sideplot, feel free to. I haven't really figured out how to use the PM thing, so sorry. :/ If you wish to suggest an OC, feel free to attempt to PM me. If I ever learn how to use it, I will most likely consider using an OC. I will give credit to the original creator of the character. The basic guidelines are: The description of the character's physical attributes, the character's battling style, and the character's Pokemon. However, I may adjust the Pokemon roster to keep the OC from being too overwhelmingly strong. Again, please read and review! **


	4. Hold the Ship!

**A.N.: I don't own anything but my own characters! Sorry about taking so long! College life is busy, and I actually have a life! :O Anyway, enjoy!**

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**00000000 Hold the Ship! 00000000**

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"Hello!" Andy shouted at the receiver. Static was all that responded from it. Andy desperately looked back at Cindy, whose Pokemon were being taken out slowly. Gilbert ran towards the battle and began spinning his bone into a Sandstorm attack. The sudden cloud of dust sent the Clockwork members sprawling back, but wouldn't stop them indefinitely.

Cindy ran to Andy, and they began fiddling with the controls. Cindy noticed a red button near the bottom of the controls, and pressed it without hesitation. Andy and Cindy tensed, but nothing seemed to happen.

"CU!" Andy spun around quickly. A Zubat had flown past the wall of wind and was buffeting Gilbert with its wings. Gilbert couldn't shake it off and keep up the storm. Cindy looked at her remaining Pokemon, her Venonat. Venonat nodded and charged at the Zubat.

"Venonat, use Tackle!" Venonat slammed into the Zubat, who struck the floor hard. The Zubat quickly thrust itself into the air again, and dived towards Venonat. Venonat began shaking, releasing a golden powder into the air. Zubat flew into the Stun Spore, and collapsed twitching. Venonat Tackled Zubat again, knocking it out.

While that was happening, Andy heard a voice on the radio calling "Hello? Is anyone there? What is your situation?"

Andy grabbed the receiver, and called into it, "Help! This is the S.S. Lucrezia! We were boarded by Nightmare Clockworks! We can't hold them back much longer!"

The radio had a sudden surge of static, but then cleared up. "Understood. Help is on the way. We have a vessel that is 5 miles west of your ship, if the reading from your signal is correct. Do your best to hold on!"

Andy groaned. That would mean at least another half hour before help arrived. Andy turned around and called to Gilbert "Can you hold out for a few more minutes? Help is coming!"

Gilbert nodded hesitantly. Cindy said, "We can't hold out at this rate! Once these goons get back-up, we're screwed!"

Andy said grimly, "We can at least take these guys out, then try and distract the rest." He turned to Gilbert and said, "Take a rest from that. Use Tackle!"

Cindy nodded and called out, "Show them your Psybeam!" Gilbert stopped twirling his bone, and began charging at the Zubat. Venonat began shooting rainbow colored rays from its eyes, taking out the Zubat one at a time. Gilbert rammed hard into a Zubat, and then smashed the ground with his club. Parts of the floor broke off, and Gilbert began batting these fragments at the Zubat, Knocking the Zubat around his unconscious.

Momentarily surprised that Gilbert learned Rock Slide so suddenly, Andy simply stood there watching the battle end. Seemingly, the desperate situation caused Gilbert to figure out a new technique that would actually be effective. Gilbert turned around and smiled in pride at taking out so many Zubat so easily. However, the Clockwork Grunts were already retrieving their Zubat and calling out other Pokemon. A Raticate, two Bellsprout, Geodude, two Kricketot, and three Skorupi appeared.

"Great, now they're mad." grumbled Cindy. Venonat and Gilbert stood side by side, ready to fight the horde of Pokemon. Andy gritted his teeth at this undesirable development.

"Gilbert, let's show them your Sandstorm again!" He called out. Gilbert began another raging dust veil when Geodude suddenly charged right through the cloud, completely unfazed by the blistering winds or sand. Gilbert slammed Geodude across the room with a Bone Club, and then parried the Bellsprout's Vine Whip attacks away from itself. The vines wrapped around Gilbert's club, and a ferocious tug-of-war began between the Bellsprout and Gilbert. Meanwhile, Venonat was having trouble holding off the Skorupi and Kricketot. Psybeam was not strong enough to knock them out in a hit, so the bug Pokemon simply did their best to dodge the attacks without disrupting their attack patterns. Meanwhile, Raticate was lashing at Gilbert with Slam, causing Gilbert to cry out in pain. Gilbert was still unwilling to let go of his club, seeing as it was precious to him. The battle was not looking well for Andy's group, as Skorupi suddenly launched a Poison Sting attack at the trainers. A barrage of toxic needles flew at Andy and Cindy, who both barely dodged in time.

However, just as the Skorupi was about to launch another barrage at them, a loud crash was heard, and a voice called out, "String Shot!" A long strand of silk covered the Skorupi's stinger. Everyone turned to look at the door, which was busted wide open. Standing there at the doorway was Don and his Pokemon. However, Sentret and Rattata seemed to be exhausted from tackling down the door, though Don had helped as well (it was quite a heavy door). Only Kakuna seemed to be strong enough to keep fighting.

Don seemed to be alright though, as he called out, "Kakuna, String Shot!" Kakuna sent a long strand of silk onto the air above the enemy Pokemon, catching the Bellsprout, Kricketot, and Skorupi in the webbing. However, Raticate had escaped the attack with its amazing speed. Raticate leapt at Kakuna, ready to use Bite on it, when Kakuna used its Harden attack. Raticate bit Kakuna, only to leap back in pain; it had felt like biting solid stone. Kakuna glowed again, hardening its body. Then it suddenly burst forth from the ground and landed in front of Raticate. Kakuna then sent a spray of Poison Sting at Raticate, striking it from close range; Raticate was quickly knocked unconscious.

Kakuna began glowing brightly; its form began to change. When the light stopped, the new Pokemon was buzzing above the ground. The new Pokemon was yellow with black rings on its body, which was separated into three round segments. It had large, red eyes and a large stinger on its tail and on each of its forearms.

Andy pulled out his Pokedex and scanned this new Pokemon, "_Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokemon. Beedrill has three poison barbs. The barb on its tail secretes the most powerful poison. They sometimes attack in swarms._"

Everyone was so shocked at the sudden evolution that no one was prepared for what happened next. Beedrill sped through the air in a blink of an eye, and struck the enemy Pokemon with its powerful Fury Attack. In less than half a minute, all of the Clockwork grunt's Pokemon were rendered unconscious.

"Wow." Cindy said in awe. No one had expected Beedrill to be this powerful. The Clockwork grunts were quickly rounded up with String Shot, and thrown unceremoniously in the corner. Don ran up to the control panel and began fiddling with the buttons.

"There's no point," Andy said. "Help won't arrive for at least half an hour."

"We're going to have to hold out until they arrive then," Cindy muttered quietly. "We need to find a more effective strategy to use. Being cornered in this room isn't a good idea." The other two nodded in agreement. They recalled all their Pokemon (except Cubone of course) and ran out of the room. Any Clockwork grunt they encountered was quickly taken down with a Bone Club, courtesy of Gilbert. They reached a staircase marked "Personnel Only!" and forced it open, unheeding the command. They ran up the staircase and exited to the top deck, right above the control room; from there, the sent out all their Pokemon who could still fight. Gilbert, Venonat, Beedrill, Rattata and Sentret lined up in a row in front of their trainers, ready to protect them.

As they waited for the enemy to appear, Don turned to Cindy and said, "So… want to get some coffee after this is over?"

Cindy looked stunned at this sudden question; Andy just looked up at the sky while the Pokemon were waiting for any sign of their enemies. "Err, I don't think this is the time!" Cindy mumbled. Don looked a little disappointed, but then, they all heard footsteps from the deck below them. A dozen Clockwork grunts filed onto the deck.

"Venonat, use Sleep powder," whispered Cindy. Venonat began to sprinkle a blue dust down towards the Clockwork grunts below them. Before they knew what hit them, the grunts were out like a lightbulb.

Unfortunately, they all heard noise from right behind them; the door to the top deck was flung wide open, and seven Clockwork grunts were suddenly pouring out onto the deck. The grunts parted to allow their captain through.

"Ah, so you are the kids who were giving my subordinates trouble," leered the villain. "Well let I, Clockwork Captain Hauss, teach you a lesson for interfering with Nightmare Clockworks' operation!" Hauss threw a Pokeball into the air and Weepinbell appeared.

"Use Sleep powder!" commanded Hauss. Weepinbell blew out a wave of blue powder at the kids and their Pokemon. Gilbert tensed his bone, ready to blow the powder away.

All of a sudden a mighty wind struck the ship surface, blowing the Sleep Powder away.

* * *

**A.N.: Yeah, I know this chapter has been a long time in coming. Well, if anyone still wants to read this, please review! Or not I guess. :\ Hopefully this story gets read at least. Anyways, next chapter will hopefully be the end of this long boat ride. Stay tuned!**


	5. The Daybeakers

**A.N.: I don't own Pokemon or any characters other than my own. Also, I would like to point out that this story may take place in the anime world, but is an alternate universe of sorts. Most of the characters and plotlines you know from the anime are not in this story. Also, the anime characters that ARE in this story will have roles similar to the games.**

**0000000000 The Daybreakers 0000000000**

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"Huh!" everyone there gasped. The Sleep Powder had suddenly been deflected back onto Weepinbell, who was now in a deep sleep. From the water, a large, winged sea Pokemon was soaring in the air; its Twister attack had been the cause of the sudden gale.

"What is that?" Andy asked. He pointed his Pokedex at the Pokemon. _"Mantine, the Kite Pokemon. While elegantly swimming in the sea, it ignores Remoraid that cling to its fins seeking food scraps."_

Suddenly, a magnified voice commanded, "Mantine, use Aurora Beam!" Mantine released an intensely cold, rainbow colored beam at Weepinbell, sending Weepinbell flying into Captain Hauss. A submarine began to rise from the water beside the ship.

The grunts immediately sent out an array of Pokemon. Five Zubat, two Raticate, three Bellsprout, two Kricketot, a Skorupi, and a Geodude appeared.

The hatch of the submarine opened, and a young man of about 19 years of age climbed out. The man called out, "Mantine, use Blizzard!" Mantine began furiously flapping its fins, causing a snowstorm to strike the grunts' Pokemon army, freezing the enemies in blocks of ice.

Captain Hauss had already recovered, and growled at the young man, "Must you always try and stop us?"

The young man smirked, "Of course! The Daybreakers cannot let your organization darken the world with your crimes!"

Hauss rolled his eyes and snarled, "Your fancy words won't be able to stop us this time! Delibird, Attack!" A small red bird holding a sack appeared.

Delibird sped towards Mantine in an Aerial Ace attack; the attack struck Mantine hard, but Mantine retaliated with a Wing Attack, slamming Delibird towards the water. Delibird managed to swerve up before it hit the water. Delibird threw a shining orb at Mantine, which exploded near Mantine; Mantine was sent flying into the water.

The young man recalled his Mantine, and threw out another Pokeball, "Swablu, get it!" A small, blue bird with cloud-shaped wings appeared.

While the two birds were battling, Hauss also had sent out his Zubat, which was diving at Gilbert and the other Pokemon; the Zubat was moving too fast to hit, and the Pokemon didn't want to accidentally hit an ally.

Gilbert then decided to ignore Zubat and go straight for Hauss; he charged at with his club held high. Zubat suddenly flew in front of Gilbert, blocking his path. Zubat began to screech at Gilbert, causing Gilbert to lose his balance with the Supersonic attack. Beedrill sped at Zubat, who responded with an Air Cutter; Beedrill was sent flying back into the other Pokemon.

"BEEDRILL!" shouted Don in worry. Beedrill flew back in the air and nodded at Don, who relaxed slightly. Meanwhile, Sentret and Rattata had double teamed the Zubat with Quick Attack, sending Zubat flying. Venonat took the opportunity to hit Zubat with a Psybeam, knocking Zubat out in one shot.

* * *

As this was going on, Swablu and Delibird were having an aerial battle above the ship. Delibird was launching Present attacks repeatedly at Swablu, who was repelling them with Swift. Delibird flew straight at Swablu with an Aerial Ace, who quickly countered with Steel Wing. The two bird Pokemon were evenly matched, so the battle wore on for quite a while.

"Swablu, use Sing!" the young man shouted. Swablu began chirping a gentle lullaby; Delibird flew towards Swablu and launched an Ice Beam at Swablu. Suddenly a bolt of electricity shot out of the water, intercepting the Ice Beam. Swablu's song began taking effect; Delibird began to slow down as it became sleepier. A shot of water knocked it out of the air; the shot of water had come from a blue sea Pokemon with a shell on its back, which had just emerged from under the water. Delibird landed on the ship, unconscious.

Andy pointed his Pokedex at the new Pokemon, _"Lapras, the Transport Pokemon. Lapras have gentle hearts. Because they rarely fight, many have been caught. Their numbers have dwindled."_

Swablu sent an Air Cutter towards Hauss, who only narrowly dodged the attack. Unfortunately for him, he landed in front of Gilbert, who struck him with his club. Hauss was knocked out before his head hit the ground. Beedrill sent a web of string at the grunts, tying them down.

The people in the submarine eventually all got out and boarded the ship. The young man who had first appeared was there with Swablu on his shoulder. Next to him were two older men and a tall woman. One of the men stayed near the submarine with Lapras. The other took Pokeballs out at released their Pokemon. The man released a two headed bird Pokemon; the woman summoned a small, green spider-like Pokemon. Greeting them were a large group of Clockwork grunts and their Pokemon. However, the small group seemed confident even though they were outnumbered.

The woman called out, "Spinarack, use Spider Web!" Spinarack sprayed a large web at the enemy Pokemon, trapping them all underneath the webbing. Spinarack followed up by peppering the Pokemon with Psybeam attacks; Swablu assisted with its Air Cutter.

"Doduo, Pursuit!" the man with the bird Pokemon called out. Doduo sped at the grunts and knocked down the entire group with a few quick strikes. Andy and his friends watched in amazement at the ease of which the small group had defeated the Clockwork grunts.

* * *

After the Nightmare Clockwork members were rounded up and quarantined in the ballroom, the mysterious group of trainers released the captive crew and passengers. The group decided to split up, with one of them returning to their submarine, while the remaining members kept guard over the Clockwork criminals. The youngest of the group seemed to be annoyed at the prospect of guarding the grunts (the ones who were able to were yelling taunts and insults at everyone they could), but didn't argue with his group.

After having Gilbert checked over by the ship's physician, Andy maneuvered his way over to the young man. The trainer raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

Andy grinned slightly, "Thanks for saving our butts back there. I don't know what we would have done if you guys didn't show up when you did." Gilbert nodded in agreement.

The trainer smirked, "Just doing my duty. You were in trouble so our group decided to lend a hand. Don't think too much about it."

Andy frowned a little at those words, but shrugged, "Well I'm Andy. Nice to meet you."

"You're a rookie trainer aren't you?" The man asked abruptly. It was more of a statement. Startled, Andy only nodded. "I thought so."

He turned away, "Well for a rookie, I guess you did pretty well back there. Still, you need to get much stronger if you want to fight Nightmare Clockworks."

"Fight them?" Andy questioned. "I never planned on fighting them. I didn't have any choice!"

The trainer turned to face Andy, "There's always a choice. You have potential to become a strong trainer. Will you waste it fighting your petty battles, or will you use it to help protect this world from people like them?" At this, he gestured towards the Nightmare Clockwork people.

Andy stood silent at the question. The trainer sighed and said, "Well, it's your choice; one that you may have to make whether you like it or not. I'm Edwardo, in case you were wondering."

Andy nodded, and turned to walk away. Before he walked out of earshot, Andy turned his head back and called, "Edwardo, if the time does come for me to choose, I'll let you know."

* * *

The next day, the ship arrived at the docks near Littleroot Town. Waiting were a squadron of police who escorted all the Nightmare Clockwork members off the ship. As the passengers were leaving the ship, Andy hung back. Edwardo had showed up in his room the previous night to throw a small device into his hands. Andy was looking around for Edwardo, when he saw another one of the trainers Edwardo was with; the young woman was sipping a cup of coffee. Andy walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me. Can you tell me where Edwardo is?"

The woman looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Why do you want to know where he is?"

Andy took out the device and showed it to her, "Edwardo gave this to me last night. I want to know what it is."

The woman eyed the device in shock, before gasping, "Why would he give this to you? It's a communicator that our organization uses to coordinate our movements!"

Andy shrugged. The woman shook her head, saying, "I'm going to have a talk with Edwardo. Come with me."

* * *

As they went searching for Edwardo, the woman introduced herself as Samantha. The reached the deck and found Edwardo at the edge of the pool, dipping his feet. Samantha crept behind him, and suddenly smacked his head hard enough to throw him into the water.

Edwardo burst out of the water and gasped, "What did you do THAT for!"

Samantha glowered at him and shouted, "Why the hell did you give this kid a communicator? It's for our organization only!"

Edwardo climbed out of the pool and shook the water of out of his hair. He said calmly, "I think Andy has potential to become a strong trainer. He would be a helpful member of our organization."

Samantha didn't seem very pleased with the explanation, "That's not for you to decide!" She sighed, "I should just take it back."

"No, I gave it to him so that if he decides he wants to do some good in this world, he has someone to call." Edwardo looked stubborn as he stared at Samantha. "Trust me, I have a feeling this will be the best for everyone. If the boss asks, I'll take the blame."

Andy, who had been listening to the argument quietly, decided to ask, "Hey, what organization are you talking about? What is the communicator for? Why are you deciding things for me?"

Edwardo turned to Andy and said, "We're the Daybreakers! Our mission is to protect the world from evil organizations like Nightmare Clockworks. I gave you that communicator because I believe that you have the potential to become a member when you become more experienced."

Samantha sighed in exasperation at Edwardo's explanation, "Fine! I'll agree to this, but I want to see some proof! I'm going to battle this rookie and see if he really has potential or not!"

Edwardo nodded and said, "Go for it! I'm curious to see Andy at his full strength."

Samantha turned to Andy and said, "Ready kid? Because there's no way you can possibly win at your level, I hope you don't give up too quickly."

Andy frowned and said, "I'm not going to back down just because you're more experienced." Gilbert growled in agreement. Samantha smirked.

Samantha tossed a Pokeball in the air, "Spinarack! Let's go!" A Spinarack appeared in a burst of light. Andy looked at Gilbert and nodded.

Gilbert frowned at Spinarack and charged in suddenly for a Headbutt. Spinarack leapt into the air and sprayed a shot of silk at Gilbert. Andy quickly called out, "Use Sandstorm! Blow Spinarack away!"

Gilbert began twirling his bone, causing a sandstorm to knock the String Shot away, along with Spinarack. Samantha frowned and called out, "Spinarack, Poisin Sting!"

Spinarack shot a barrage of needles at Gilbert, Who quickly deflected them with a Protect. Andy called for a Bone Club, and Gilbert leapt forward. Right when the attack would have hit Spinarack, Samantha commanded, "Spinarack, Double Team!"

Spinarack suddenly split into three images, and Gilbert's Bone Club passed right though one of the illusions. Spinarack grabbed Gilbert in a grapple, pinning Gilbert to the ground. Samantha called for a Poisin Jab, and Spinarack began pounding on Gilbert with its glowing forelegs. Gilbert cried out in pain; Andy winced at the beating Gilbert was taking.

Samantha looked at Andy and said, "Your Cubone is taking a lot of damage. I'd recommend that you forfeit, or it may get seriously hurt." Andy looked at her, then at Gilbert again. He sighed and said, "Alright, I surrender."

Spinarack leapt off Gilbert, who looked sadly at Andy. Andy picked Gilbert up and hugged him gently, "It's alright. They were too experienced for us."

Samantha nodded in approval, "Regardless of whether or not you're powerful enough for our organization, you showed how much you care for your Pokemon. I think that the communicator is worth giving to you."

Edwardo smirked and said, "Well, he has a lot to learn, but I see enough potential to at least be a good trainer."

Andy grinned at Gilbert, who snuggled into his chest. "We'll be stronger the next time you see us!"

* * *

After saying their goodbyes, Andy left the S.S. Luucrezia; waiting for him were Don and Cindy. Cindy walked up to him and said, "Well, we're leaving! Off to the Pokemon Trainer's School!"

Don smiled at Andy, "It was cool to have met you. Next time I see you though, I'll be much more stronger!" Andy grinned at this and said, "I can't wait."

* * *

After another round of goodbyes, Andy and Gilbert went into Littleroot Town. Looking around, Andy said quietly, "I wonder where he is?"

"ANDY!" a loud voice suddenly sounded behind him. Andy turned around to see Daniel running towards him in the direction he had just left.

"DANNY!" Andy called back gleefully. Gilbert tilted his head slightly in confusion.

* * *

**A.N.: FINALLY OFF THAT BLASTED SHIP! Well, I think this is a good place to leave off. Sorry for those who care, but it takes a lot to motivate me to work during the summer. Anyways, hopefully there will be more chapters coming out soon. Another point I'd like to make is that in this story, there will be a much darker storyline than in the anime. Hopefully readers will look forward to what I have planned, seeing as this is merely the opening of the first of seven parts of this epic. Yes, I'm using EPIC as it should be used! ;-) Anyways, read and review guys and gals!**


	6. Breeding the Conflict

**A.N.: Okay, another chapter up, and you didn't have to wait TOO long this time. Now, I feel I should mention that since this IS technically an alternate anime world, I will use Pokemon techniques similar to the anime (i.e.- Electric-type attacks that rarely can damage Ground-types, moves that cancel each other out, inaccurate moves in the games being perfectly accurate, certain moves working differently from the games, and so forth (Hey, if the anime can do it, so can I! XD).) Anyways, I don't own Pokemon, and all the disclaimer stuff that you've already seen in the first few chapters. Enjoy!**

**0000000000 Breeding the Conflict 0000000000**

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* * *

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Gilbert the Cubone looked on as Andy and Daniel gave each other a quick hug. Andy took a step back and gazed up and down at his friend. What he saw was a dark-haired, gently tanned teenager with a slightly muscular build; Daniel's hair was short, but had a rolled out of bed look. Andy noticed that Daniel was doing a similar once-over, and grinned. They began talking a mile a minute, trying to catch up on their lives as quickly as possible. Eventually Gilbert grew impatient, jumped up and lightly rapped Andy on the head.

"OW! Oh right, sorry Gil," Andy muttered sheepishly. Turning towards Daniel, he said, "Dan, this is Gilbert, my partner."

Then turning towards Gilbert, Andy beamed, "Gil, Daniel has been by best friend for years, ever since we met at a summer camp."

At this, Daniel chuckled, "It's been around 6 years since we've seen each other. I've been busy studying to become an artist, but I figured that I could accompany Andy on a Pokemon journey, seeing as I can work anywhere. We haven't been able to see each other for so long, I knew we needed this opportunity to make up for lost time."

"Speaking of which, did you get a Pokemon?" Andy inquired.

Daniel nodded and reached for a couple of Pokeballs. "I already caught a Pokemon while I was waiting for you. Come on out!" Daniel pressed to buttons on both balls and twin flashes of light burst out. The first Pokemon was small and blue, with a fin on top of its head. The second Pokemon was much larger, dark blue with a white underbelly and a couple of tiny blowholes on the top of its balloon-like body.

"Meet Mudkip and Wailmer, my own Pokemon partners!" Daniel exclaimed proudly. "I caught Wailmer right near the docks while I was waiting for your ship to arrive."

Andy sighed, "Lucky you. I haven't' caught a single Pokemon at all, and it's already been a day!" Gilbert gently patted Andy's leg in sympathy. Daniel suddenly grabbed Andy's hand and started pulling him.

"C'mon, I'll take you to see Professor Birch! He'll be able to give you a Pokemon for sure!" Daniel declared; Andy looked far less certain at the fact, "Why would he give me a Pokemon? It's not like Pokemon are just lying around his lab!"

Daniel shrugged Andy's discrepancies off, "Don't worry about that. If he would give me, an artist, a Pokemon, he would definitely give you one!"

Gilbert seemed to agree with Daniel's logic, while Andy still hesitated. Daniel ignored Andy's protests, and marched him in the direction of Littleroot Town, towards Professor Birch's laboratory.

* * *

A half hour later, they arrived at a small, unimposing white building. A bronze plaque embedded next to the door identified this building as Professor Birch's Pokemon Research Facility. Daniel quickly opened the door and pulled Andy and Gilbert inside. Inside, the lab looked more impressive than one would have assumed from looking outside. Complicated machines lined the white walls of the building, and several computers were actively running multiple programs the likes of which were incomprehensible to either teen. Sitting in front of the largest computer, wearing his white lab coat as always, was Professor Birch. The clock, looking quite out of place in the technologically abundant lab, read noon; this explained the lack of lab assistants, who were probably having a lunch break.

Daniel marched Andy over to Professor Birch. Professor Birch turned his head from the computer screen and peered at his unexpected guests, "Daniel! What are you doing here? I thought you were beginning your travels. Who's you friend?"

"I was waiting for my friend Andy here to arrive from Kanto," Daniel explained. "He would like to receive a Pokemon."

Andy groaned at that statement. Daniel ignored this and continued a short rant on why Andy should receive a Pokemon from Professor Birch, disregarding the fact that Andy already had a Cubone. Professor Birch seemed amused at Daniel's tirade.

"I appreciate the fact that you want to help your friend, but it's not my job to just give Pokemon away to someone who already has a Pokemon," Professor Birch indicated Gilbert. "Besides, I already gave away the starter Pokemon to other beginning trainers, so there's none left."

Daniel prompted, "You must have SOMETHING left."

Professor Birch rolled his eyes, "I have a Pokemon egg, but that's not exactly what you're asking for."

Daniel turned to Andy, "Hey Andy, would you like a Pokemon egg?" Andy replied with a non-committed shrug. Just then, the door to the lab opened; a boy around the age of 11 entered the building. The boy was short, somewhat pudgy, and has mischievous eyes; he was wearing a lemon yellow t-shirt, and dark denim shorts.

"Hey Birch!" shouted the boy. "If you're going to give Pokemon away, then you should give it to ME!"

Professor Birch sighed in exasperation, "Why does everyone come to me for this stuff?" he pondered aloud. "Look guys, I can't just give away Pokemon, especially to people who ALREADY have Pokemon!"

The boy hesitated, and then muttered, "I overheard you saying you had a Pokemon egg; that wouldn't exactly be considered a Pokemon, so you can give me that!"

Professor Birch thought about it for a minute, and then said, "Well technically, it's an un-hatched Pokemon, so I could actually give it to you as a gift of sorts."

The boy grew excited, but his glee was dampened when Professor Birch added, "However, I won't give a soon-to-be baby Pokemon to just ANY trainer! You will have to prove to me that you are responsible enough to raise it, as well as strong enough to protect it."

The three young trainers looked at each other, before Andy asked, "How do we do that? A battle?"

Professor Birch grinned. The boy smirked, before pulling a Pokeball out of his belt, "This shouldn't be too hard."

* * *

"I can't believe that just happened!"

"Well, next time you should be more careful with your stuff!"

"Well it's not like I asked to be a Pokemon trainer!"

"Then why did you get a Pokemon in the first place?"

"Obviously, it's because I wanted to travel around with you, and thought having a Pokemon would bring us closer together!"

"Well, then what's wrong with catching another Pokemon?"

"Nothing's wrong with that! I just wasn't planning on having more than ONE Pokemon, that's all!"

Keith sighed. Maddy pouted her lips, before winking at him, "Well, on the plus side, Skitty IS a cutie!"

Keith just rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well at least now you don't have to worry about being lonely if we're separated."

Maddy raised an eyebrow, "Are you planning on leaving me?"

Keith hurriedly shook his head, "Of course not! I'm just pointing out that we could very easily get split up in the wild, and I want to make sure you're well protected even without me there with you!"

Maddy smiled, before giving Keith a small kiss, "I understand. Just don't worry about me so much; I can handle myself."

Maddy leaned in for another kiss. The sun set on the ocean before them, its crimson rays giving the beach a serene glow.

* * *

"Charmander, use Dragon Rage!"

The small, orange fire lizard released a surge of blue fire from its mouth, striking the other Pokemon. The wild Pokemon, a black canine with grayish growths on its back and skull, growled in pain from the assault. A Pokeball was thrown, and the Pokemon was caught in a flash of red light. The boy who threw it was around 11-years-old with light brown hair, and bright blue eyes; he was wearing a black t-shirt with a yellow-orange vest and dark gray track pants. It was the same boy that Andy had seen running past at Professor Oak's laboratory.

The boy picked up the Pokeball and said, "All right! That's three Pokemon I've caught so far."

The small fire Pokemon grinned, "Char!"

The trainer lifted the small Pokemon and gave it a bear hug, "All thanks to you of course Charmander!"

Suddenly, a footstep sounded behind him; turning around, the trainer saw a young girl walking into the small clearing in the dark forest. The girl didn't seem surprised to see the boy, even going so far as to smirk at him.

"Well Aaron, to think that you've made it this far already." Mocked the girl.

The boy, Aaron, frowned, "Well at least I made it here faster than YOU did, Kaitlyn!"

"Well, I was waiting for you," stated Kaitlyn matter-of-factly. "I was hoping for a battle to see if you actually studied up BEFORE you left home."

"Well, I'll show you just how much I know!" cried Aaron. "I've got four Pokemon already!"

Kaitlyn gave a tut, "Uh uh, you should know that quantity is NOT quality! I'll show you that right now."

Aaron grinned and looked at Charmander, who was looking amused at their banter. Charmander nodded and charged forward between the two trainers. Kaitlyn smirked, and threw a Pokeball into the air. A flash of light later, a small Pokemon appeared; it looked like a blue turtle with a red-orange shell and a thick, curly tail.

Aaron frowned, "A Squirtle? It figures that you would get that."

Kaitlyn smiled sweetly, "Would you like to surrender now? Because you should know you're outmatched as it is."

"Not a chance! Let's go! Charmander, use Smokescreen!" Charmander let loose a cloud of dark smoke, masking its presence completely. The thick cloud of black smoke quickly enveloped the entire area, blacking out the sun.

Unimpressed however, Kaitlyn cried out, "Squirtle, use Bubble! Then follow up with your Rapid Spin!" Squirtle sprayed a jet of bubbles into the smoke, and then withdrew into its shell; the shell started to spin, flying into the bubbles and smoke. In a matter of seconds, the bubbles were blown in all directions, taking the smoke with them. A few of the bubbles struck Charmander in the chest, and Charmander grimaced from the shock.

Aaron wasn't pleased with the turn of events, "Charmander, get in close and try a Scratch!" Charmander ran towards Squirtle with startling speed, and raised its claw. Kaitlyn gave a quick command, "Withdraw!" and Squirtle retreated into its shell, for its Withdraw technique. Charmander tried to slash at Squirtle, but the shell absorbed to blow. Charmander's claw smashed into the hard shell, causing Charmander to grit its teeth at the recoil.

"Squirtle, use your Water Gun attack!"

Squirtle quickly popped out of its shell, and sprayed a small jet of water at Charmander, sending Charmander into a nearby tree. Charmander landed at the base of the tree, stirring feebly. Kaitlyn and Squirtle both let out a cry of victory. Aaron ran to Charmander, concern etched across his face.

"Well, it looks like it's my win," smiled Kaitlyn. "Not that it could have gone any differently, giving the type match-up."

Aaron ground his teeth at the jibe, "Yeah, well next time it won't be so easy! We'll get stronger. You'll see!"

"Whatever you say Aaron. I'll catch you later." With that, Kaitlyn and Squirtle walked off, leaving Aaron cradling Charmander in his arms.

Aaron sighed and looked down at Charmander, "Well buddy, we've got our work cut out for us." Charmander groaned softly in response.

* * *

Outside of Professor Birch's laboratory, Andy and the boy (who they learned was named Colin) stood across from each other in the hills behind the lab. Gilbert was standing in the middle of the makeshift arena, ready to face Colin's Pokemon. Without a word, Colin threw a Pokeball and released a short, grayish humanoid Pokemon.

Andy pulled out his Pokedex and analyzed the new Pokemon, "_Machop, the Superpower Pokemon. Machop loves to work out and build its muscles. Always brimming with power, it passes time by lifting boulders. Doing so makes it even stronger. _"

"Hmm, this won't be an easy battle then." Gilbert narrowed his eyes at Machop, confirming Andy's sentiments.

Andy and Colin both nodded at Professor Birch, who was refereeing the battle. He lifted his hands and declared, "This will be a one-on-one battle between Andy's Cubone and Colin's Machop. There will be no time limit. Let the battle begin!"

Immediately, Colin called out, "Machop, Karate Chop!"

Machop ran towards Gilbert, ready to slam the edge of its arm on Gilbert's helm; Gilbert met the attack with his Bone Club. The attacks collided, neither managing to pass the other's guard. Machop began throwing Karate Chop after Karate Chop at Gilbert, who parried the blows with Bone Club; however, Machop had the advantage of being able to use both arms to attack. Gilbert had to work hard to keep up with the rapid attacks, using only his Bone Club as a shield against the powerful blows. Gilbert began to tire after blocking a considerable number of hits. Colin took advantage of this to call out, "Machop, use Bullet Punch!"

Machop's fist suddenly began glowing, and it slammed into Gilbert with amazing speed. Gilbert was knocked down, groaning in pain, and Andy grit his teeth. He made a quick decision of strategy, to spare his Cubone any further damage.

"Sandstorm! Make Machop keep its distance!" Gilbert quickly twirled his club, forming a large Sandstorm over the arena. Everyone except Gilbert raised their arms to shield themselves from the buffeting sand.

"Not bad! Cubone's using the dirt around us to make Sandstorm even stronger," commented Professor Birch, while straining against the storm. "Argh! I got sand in my mouth!"

Machop couldn't see Gilbert as he was sneaking around it. Suddenly, the Sandstorm cleared. Gilbert had crept close using the Sandstorm to cover his movements, and struck Machop from behind with a Headbutt.

"Chop!" Machop fell down in pain, but quickly got to its feet. Machop turned around, grabbed Gilbert and slammed him into the ground with a Seismic Toss. Gilbert cried out, but held on to his bone; using it as a lever, Cubone flung himself up and jumped backwards a couple of times to put some distance between Machop and him.

"Are you okay Gil?" Andy asked, concerned at the damage taken.

"Cu!" Gilbert affirmed, before extending his arms out in an attack stance. Andy gave a quick command, and Gilbert began another Sandstorm attack.

Colin wasn't having any of that, "Machop, use Light Screen!"

Professor Birch gasped at that command as Machop suddenly threw out its arms, creating a sphere of light out of thin air, surrounding both itself and Colin with its protection. The sand struck the barrier and swerved around, leaving Machop and Colin unaffected. Professor Birch seemed impressed.

"_Impressive! Light Screen is a Psychic-type technique, which most Machop never learn."_

Aloud, he praised, "I never expected a Machop to be able to learn Light Screen. You've trained your Machop well Colin."

Colin gave a shrug, "Yeah, well Machop's parents are my father's Machamp and Medicham. So I guess it ran in the family."

Professor Birch nodded sagely, "Yes, yes I see!"

Andy was listening closely to the side conversation, and suddenly had a brainstorm. He took out his Pokedex and pointed it at Gilbert, pressing a few buttons to search for something on it. Quickly finding what he was searching for, Andy looked up and grinned, calling out, "Gilbert, show them your Iron Head!"

"Huh?" Colin gasped. Gilbert's helm began to glow with white light, and Gilbert charged straight at Machop. Machop held out its arms, creating another Light Screen. However, Gilbert's attack smashed right into to wall, shattering it and striking Machop hard. Machop was sent flying back, landing roughly this time.

"MACHOP!" Colin screamed. Machop was struggling to get up, but looked determined to continue fighting.

"_Hmm, Machop seems to not want to give up and disappoint its trainer. Quite a loyal Pokemon. On the other hand, Andy seems to have adapted well to the battle, and even took the information from my comments and found a way to use it to his advantage._"

As Machop was slowly getting up, Gilbert threw his club. The Bonemerang struck Machop, sending it flying back once again. This time however, Machop had taken too much damage and fainted from the blow.

Professor Birch quickly raised his hand up. He declared, "Machop is unable to battle. The winner is Andy and Cubone!"

Gilbert was ecstatic. He quickly jumped into Andy's arms, catching Andy off guard. They both tumbled into the ground. Even so, they both laughed and hugged each other.

Professor Birch took note of this, "_Hmm, they seem to care for each other a lot, even though they only just recently became partners. This may well be a sign._"

Looking over at Colin, he wasn't as impressed. Colin simply recalled Machop, looking annoyed. Colin muttered, "Machop, take a break."

Professor Birch sighed, "_Colin could be a little more sympathetic to the fact that his Pokemon is injured. I guess it's definite now who cares more for his Pokemon._"

He congratulated them, "That was a good battle you guys. You both have a bright future ahead of you."

Daniel was quick to ask, "Well Prof? Did Andy earn the egg?"

Professor Birch nodded, "Yeah, I guess he did prove himself."

Meanwhile, Andy had gotten up, and had walked over to Colin. Andy extended his hand, and Colin, after sighing, shook it.

* * *

In the lab, Professor Birch brought out a glass case with a large, brown and white Pokemon egg. Colin had already left, Machop all recovered from the battle thanks to treatment courtesy of Professor Birch, reluctant to stay to see Professor Birch give Andy the egg. As Professor Birch handed both the egg and a small book to Andy, he said, "Make sure you take good care of it. I've given you a manual to taking care of Pokemon eggs, as well as baby Pokemon. Use them well, and you'll be an excellent caretaker."

Andy nodded, grinning a mile a minute. He looked down at Gilbert, "We'll take good care of it. You'll have a younger sibling soon Gilbert!"

Indeed, Gilbert was quite excited at the prospect of a growing family. He was already staring fondly at the egg. "Bone!"

"I'm entrusting this egg to you then, mainly because I believe that you truly care about Pokemon, and will love it like family."

After thanking the professor repeatedly, the two trainers and Gilbert departed Professor Birch's laboratory. Before them, the sun was setting on the horizon of the ocean.

* * *

**A.N.: Well that was my longest chapter so far. Don't worry, I plan on keeping my chapters approximately this long, maybe even longer. It all depends on how much I want to write for the chapter. I'll try to make the battles more detailed, but it's not easy when all the characters have Pokemon who are inexperienced at battling. Later on, the battles will be more interesting I believe. Now next chapter, our "heroes" will be taking a long trip to a different region. I know, I know, what's the point of having another boring boat ride? Well, I'll spare you guys the pain of another chapter of that. Instead, we'll be taking a deeper look at some of the other characters, including the ones you saw in this chapter. Finally, I would appreciate if you guys would send in a few more OC's that are beginning trainers. The lower their level, the earlier they'll appear after all. Anyways, read and review! Thanks for reading another installment of "Soul of Light"!**


	7. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**A.N.: Sorry that it's been months since I've last posted! Between college, club duties and friends, I haven't had too much time to write. Plus with my exceedingly long and complicated plotline, I've lost the motivation to complete a story that may take at least a couple of years to finish! (Yes, it is THAT long, I had to split it into 8 parts!). Oh wells, I don't own Pokemon or anything even remotely related to the franchise except my own characters!**

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**00000000 Wolf In Sheep's Clothing 00000000**

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Daniel looked out the window of his room at the Pokemon Center at the amber sunrise; he had gotten up early to greet the sun, excited about the new day. After several long minutes of gazing, he finally tore his gaze away from the window to his sleeping friend. Andy was lying on his bed, curled up with Gilbert by his side. The Pokemon egg Andy had recently received was resting on his nightstand in its little casket. Daniel grinned and started to reminisce about the first time he had met Andy.

_Daniel was molding a large lump of clay into a figure meant to depict a Dragonair. However, the figure resembled a banana rather than the beautiful Pokemon. Daniel frowned at his work, picked up a spare piece of clay and smashed it onto the end of the statue, trying to form a head._

_Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a large glob of blue paint splattered onto his clay sculpture. Daniel's statue suddenly resembled a molding piece of fruit and was definitely ruined. Daniel heard a gasp behind him and saw another seven-year old boy rushing over to him. The raven haired-boy was in a paint covered smock, with a hand covered in blue paint. The boy looked at the ruined piece of art, then at Daniel._

"_I'm sorry! Carl was making fun of my painting, so I threw some paint on him," cried the boy apologetically. "I didn't mean to hit your sculpture. I'm so, so, so sorry!"_

_Daniel frowned at the boy and asked, "Where did Carl go?"_

_The boy looked behind him, and pointed at the boy who was doodling on a painting, "He's right there messing with my painting."_

_Daniel narrowed his eyes and marched over to Carl, tapping him on the shoulder. Carl looked up and Daniel punched him in the face. That started a fight between all three boys, which escalated into an all-out brawl. The counselor eventually broke up the fight with help from other adults, and put all the boys in time out. Daniel left with a black eye and Andy with a bruise on his right cheek. That was the start of a long friendship._

_After that day, Daniel and Andy, the boy, were inseparable; they spent most of everyday with each other. During the last two days of camp, they decided to bond themselves by blood (which was a foolish and dangerous thing to do, but they were boys) and made a promise to always be friends._

_The last night they were at camp, Andy jumped into Daniel's bunk. They had pestered the counselor's to let them sleep in the same cabin, and eventually they were allowed to. Andy had the bottom bunk, but tonight he decided to hop up onto Daniel's bunk._

_Andy pulled the covers over him and asked, "Hey Danny, can I sleep here tonight?"_

_Without hesitation, Daniel nodded. They spent most of the night whispering jokes and secrets to each other. Before they went to bed, Andy leaned over, puckered his lips and planted a soft kiss on Daniel's lips._

_Daniel, too shocked to respond, laid there while Andy fell asleep. As Daniel also drifted off, he managed to finally whisper, "I love you."_

"What are you looking at?"

Startled, Daniel snapped out of his reveries and looked towards a now awake Andy staring at him sleepily.

"Just reminiscing about camp," smiled Daniel. Daniel strode over to Andy's bed and gave him a soft peck on the lips.

* * *

While Andy and Daniel were making out, Keith was busy trying to win his first Pokemon battle; Totodile was blasting spray after spray of water at his opponent's Pokemon, but was having trouble striking the quick Pokemon. The opposing Pokemon was a small, purple monkey-like Pokemon with a large, hand-shaped tail; the Pokemon was an Aipom, and its speed was giving it a massive advantage over Totodile.

The opposing trainer, a girl named Brabetz, called out, "Aipom, use your Swift attack!"

Aipom started flinging a shower of star-shaped energy blades at Totodile, striking it dead on. Totodile gasped in pain and was thrown back.

Maddy called out, "Come on Totodile, you can do it!"

Totodile slowly stood up and glared at Aipom. Keith nodded.

"Totodile, use Scary Face!"

Totodile ran towards Aipom, and stood on its toes. It glared at Aipom and bared its jaws at it; Totodile was an imposing sight to see, and Aipom gasped in fright. Totodile took that opportunity to fire a Water Gun at Aipom, sending Aipom through the air and crashing into the ground.

"Now go for the Scratch Attack!"

Totodile ran towards Aipom, and struck it with its claws. Aipom collapsed, unconscious from the damage.

Keith sighed in relief, "Well, it looks like I win!"

The trainers both picked up their respective Pokemon and carried them towards the nearby Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Charmander, Ember! Machop, Karate Chop!"

Aaron was in an intense double battle with another trainer named Howser. His Charmander was teaming up with his newest Pokemon, Machop. Machop was a small, gray human-shaped Pokemon. Howser had a Zubat and Raticate on his side, and both were inflicting heavy damage to Aaron's team.

Charmander launched a flurry of small fireballs at Raticate, who leapt out of the way of the attack and struck Charmander back with a Hyper Fang Attack. At the same time, Machop struck Zubat with a Karate Chop, which was blocked with Zubat's Wing Attack. Zubat immediately started screeching, sending a powerful Supersonic attack on Machop. Machop began running erratically towards Charmander, like a drunken person towards the streets. Unfortunately Machop began grappling with Charmander, who strained against the overwhelming brute strength of Machop.

Raticate took the time to charge at Machop with a Quick Attack, with Zubat adding an Air Cutter into the mix to amplify Quick Attack's damage potential. Raticate struck Machop head on, sending Machop crashing into the ground unconscious. Charmander glared at Howser's Pokemon.

Aaron recalled Machop, then declared, "Charmander, Show them the power of your Dragon Rage!"

Charmander's tail flame began burning even more intensely; it released an immense bluish fireball at Raticate and Zubat. Both Pokemon tried to avoid the attack, but then the fireball exploded, sending flames everywhere. Raticate and Zubat both were sent flying from the attack; Zubat landed on the ground, having fainted from the powerful technique.

Howser frowned and recalled Zubat. Then he looked at Aaron and said, "This battle's not over yet! Raticate, Sucker Punch attack!"

"Not so fast! Charmander, use Smokescreen!" Charmander breathed out a cloud of smoke, completely blocking itself from Raticate's view.

"Raticate, go Pursuit!"

"Charmander, Dragon Rage once more!"

Charmander released another Dragon Rage attack, striking the cloud of smoke. An immense explosion followed; when the smoke cleared, it was obvious that Raticate had fainted as well.

Aaron leapt in the air in joy at his victory. Howser, meanwhile, recalled Raticate and stormed off.

"Ah hem!"

Aaron turned around, and saw another trainer waiting for a battle; Aaron grinned and thought, _"This is going to be fun."_

_

* * *

_

Kaitlyn was battling a wild Rhyhorn with her Mankey. Mankey was pelting Rhyhorn with Scratch attacks, but Rhyhorn was standing its ground.

Kaitlyn decided to change tactics, "Mankey, use Karate Chop!"

Mankey leapt on top of Rhyhorn, and struck it hard with its arms. Rhyhorn grunted in pain and shook Mankey off with a Horn Attack. Mankey landed on the ground with a thump.

"Mankey! Are you alright?" Kaitlyn cried. Mankey slowly stood up and nodded to Kaitlyn; Rhyhorn took advantage of Mankey's distraction to attempt a Stomp attack. Mankey closed its eyes and started glowing with an amber aura. Rhyhorn's foot struck the aura shield; immediately, Rhyhorn was sent flying from Mankey. It crashed into a tree, unable to battle.

"Go Pokeball!" Kaitlyn tossed a Pokeball at Rhyhorn, which opened and sealed Rhyhorn inside.

"Mank, man key!" Mankey was hopping in excitement.

Kaitlyn grinned at Mankey and said, "We did it! We caught Rhyhorn!"

* * *

Andy and Daniel were leaving the Pokemon Center after having eaten breakfast with their recovered Pokemon, when they were intercepted by a man. The man wore a dusty brown suit with tan slacks and loafers. He also wore a shabby brown fedora on his head. Overall, his appearance was not too impressive.

"Greetings gentleman!" the man cried enthusiastically. "The name's Regulus! How would one of you fine folks like a battle with little old me?"

Andy and Daniel looked at each other. Regulus seemed friendly enough and they weren't in any hurry. Andy shrugged.

"Sure, I'll battle you."

Regulus grinned, "Thanks a plenty folks! I promise you, there won't be any disappointments."

Daniel laughed, "I hope not! I wanna see some action!"

* * *

Behind the Pokemon Center, Gilbert was battling a Houndour. Houndour released a Flamethrower at Gilbert, who blocked it with Protect. Then Gilbert sent a Bonemerang at Houndour, which struck it solidly; Houndour fainted from the super-effective attack.

Andy frowned at this; the battle had been so easy, he hadn't even had to give Gilbert more than one instruction.

"Well that was kind of dull." Daniel commented dryly. "I was hoping to see more of a struggle."

Regulus recalled Houndour and said to Daniel, "Well sir, if you would rather battle me instead, I'm sure I can make it much more exciting."

Gilbert walked over to Daniel and cried in agreement, "Cubone!"

Andy smirked, "Looks like Gilbert wants to watch you battle too. He really didn't have to do much for this battle after all."

Daniel sighed, "I guess I can give it a try. After all, I wouldn't mind winning my first Pokemon battle."

* * *

"I leave this vessel to you," spoke a shadowy figure on a small screen. "Do NOT disappoint me."

Another figure bowed; she wore an all-black outfit consisting of a short skirt, thick leggings, high heels and an unfortunate turtleneck with a Duskull design on it. The most interesting thing about this woman was her bright pink hair hidden somewhat by a black beret. Overall, she didn't seem very intimidating.

"I won't fail you boss," she purred malevolently. "As long as you remember our little deal: if I succeed in this mission, you will grant me full membership into your group as a Captain!"

The dark figure smirked, "I plan on doing more than that if you can recruit some strong trainers along with the Pokemon. I will personally request to our leader that you are made a Commander of recruitment."

The woman gasped, "I promise you! I will personally check the competencies of these foolish trainers and will recruit only the best!"

"See that you do." The figure whispered. The screen went dark.

* * *

"Wailmer, use Rollout!" Daniel ordered.

Wailmer wheeled towards Regulus' Shellder, a small, purple shellfish Pokemon. Wailmer struck Shellder with enough centrifugal force to knock Shellder into Regulus; both Pokemon and trainer were stunned.

Daniel smirked, "That was pretty easy for my first battle."

Wailmer smiled and let loose a small spray of water from its blowhole in celebration. Regulus stood up, shaking his head to clear it. He sighed and pointed a Pokeball at Shellder, recalling it.

"Well, I guess you win." Regulus praised. "The two of y'all are fine trainers indeed!"

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a pair of tickets. He offered them to Daniel, who took them in confusion. Daniel quickly read the tickets and looked at Regulus with a questioning gaze.

"Those there tickets are for the Dreaming Sun trainer cruise ship!" explained Regulus. "It's a brand new ship for those hotshots who want to make it as Trainers."

Andy and Daniel looked at each other quickly. Daniel piped up, "What do you mean by that?"

Regulus smirked, "Only that fellas that want to get stronger should check this ship out! Lots of trainers are gonna be there, and `sides that, the ship's headed to Evergrande City!"

That did it. "We'll take them!" both Andy and Daniel cried.

* * *

Several hours later in the Pokemon Center, a person was talking on a small phone.

"I've sent dozens of Pokemon Trainers your way, my lady. You may capture their Pokemon as you please."

The person on the other end of the phone purred, "Good work. Soon, I'll be a Commander of Nightmare Clockworks and you'll be my chief recruiter!"

"It would be my honor," gasped the man on the phone. "I won't fail you milady!"

The voice snickered, "Of course you won't genius, because you've already done the hard part!"

"Er, p-point t-taken," stammered the man. "Will you need mu assistance any longer?"

The woman took a second to ponder this and then declared, "No, you're done. Return immediately and help me get set up!"

The man grinned, "At once!"

The woman chuckled, "Hahahaha! Remember this moment Regulus! Soon we'll be on our way to the top!"

The phone clicked off. Regulus put the phone down and peered out the window at the moon and cackled wickedly.

* * *

**A.N.: Finally got this chapter out of the way! Writing this is harder than I expected, especially since I have trouble getting into great depth while still keeping the story flowing! *sighs* Ok anyone who still cares, reviews would definitely help me improve my creative writing!**


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